Samuel Bond Haskell IV, 35, will return to court in January after his arraignment was continued during a brief hearing. The Hollywood scion was arrested last month on suspicion of murder in the deaths of his wife, 37-year-old Mei Li Haskell; her mother, Yanxiang Wang, 64; and stepfather, Gaoshan Li, 72.
He did not enter a plea after his lawyer, Joseph Weimoritz, requested a continuance. Beverly Hills defence lawyer Bob Schwartz had been representing Haskell until two days ago, and it was not clear why he had changed counsel.
Weimoritz declined to discuss the case after the hearing and Schwartz did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Haskell, who wore his jail-issued jumpsuit with the top folded down around his waist, revealing a large tattoo on his right shoulder, barely spoke during the hearing as he clutched a plastic bag of his possessions.
Mystery, horror surround US case of headless torso, missing family
Mystery, horror surround US case of headless torso, missing family
Haskell shared a home with his wife and in-laws in the 4100 block of Coldstream Terrace in Tarzana. Mei’s relatives, many of whom still live in China, told The Los Angeles Times earlier this month that while they did not know of any fights or discussions of divorce between the couple, financial issues were a strain.
Mei was the only person contributing to their US$7,000 monthly mortgage, according to her uncle, who described Haskell as “strange” and “quiet and reserved.”
Authorities say Haskell first tried to dispose of human remains on November 7, when he hired day labourers to remove bags from his property. The workers, who were paid US$500 and initially told that they were hauling away rocks, said the bags felt soggy and soft, like meat. The labourers tried to return the money and contacted police, but by the time officers arrived the bags were gone, according to a KNBC-TV report.
The next day, a homeless man found a duffel bag containing a human torso in a Tarzana rubbish bin. Haskell was arrested a short time later. Investigators believe the torso belongs to Mei, but they have not located her parents’ remains.
While police have not confirmed a motive or manner of death in the killings, LA County Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman said detectives discovered blood and evidence consistent with dismemberment inside the family home.
On Friday, Silverman urged LA County Superior Court Judge Kimberley Baker Guillemet to force the arraignment to go forward on Friday, citing the presence of several family members in court and the continued frustration of relatives in China who are desperate for updates in the case.
“They have been missing for 20 days,” Mei’s uncle, Yanqinq Wang, said in an interview with the Times last week. “How can he hide it so well for so long?”
The defendant’s father, Sam Haskell, has won an Emmy award as a producer and was a high-level executive at the powerful William Morris Endeavor talent agency before launching his own production company.